Time again for my oncology appointment, this is only a checkup but even today the stress of going to these appointments stresses me out. Today I will be getting the results of my newest blood work. When the oncologist orders the lab work she does a complete CBC but she also does a tumor marker test.
The tumor marker test is a wonderful test that checks my blood for certain antigens that show in the blood. There is always some in the blood but the purpose is to keep checking them to be sure they don’t reach a certain level that would indicate a recurrence of cancer is likely.
I have my labs drawn the day before my oncology visit because I like the doctor to have all the results prior to my appointment so that we can review them and IF anything is there we can talk about it right away. I have found that my stress level is a little more controlled when I do it like this.
When I go to the appointments the doctor does the usual physical exam, reviews my labs and asks me if I have any questions. Everything was good with my labs and exam so I had no questions. She did ask me about my newest additions from the nipple reconstruction. She was commenting at how good they look and asked about the tattooing or having them balanced.
I explained to her that with my history and all the poking and prodding that I have undergone in the last few years I am a little hesitant to get anything else done. She understands the concerns and suggest that maybe if I do the tattooing it might feel like a final closure. She compared it to the icing on a cake; would a birthday cake with no icing still look and feel like a birthday cake? When you say it like that I guess it makes sense. Yes they were there, but they still didn’t look the way they should, and I might feel better after tattooing.